SONG OF THE WOODS
SONG OF THE WOODS
Even as pockets of forest lands are being reclaimed for developmental activities in various parts of the country, this music composer and wildlife enthusiast has turned a barren hill near Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand into a thriving wildlife reserve. Abhishek Ray, a music composer who has rendered music for awardwinning films like Paan Singh Tomar, Welcome
Back, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster, has dedicated all his savings to build Sitabani wildlife reserve. This verdant expanse is home to around 350 species of birds and several animals now.
The term ‘ wildlife’ is the greatest conspiracy hatched by the human civilisation to control and kill all free animals that live on Mother Earth — ABHISHEK RAY
The idea of a wildlife reserve came to him when he stumbled upon an excessively degraded hill while carrying out a big cats’ census in the Corbett National Park. “I have been assisting the forest department in conducting a census of big cats from the age of 14. During one such time in Corbett, about 15 years ago, I came across a hill that was completely barren, devoid of any kind of vegetation due to continuous slash and burn agricultural practices being performed there for years. The sight of this degraded area, surrounded by a thick sal forest, pushed me to buy the land,” says Abhishek.
The hill area, which was used for farming earlier, had been experiencing human- animal conflict. On one side of the hill there is a small tributary of the Kosi River, where animals used to go to drink water and while passing the hilly area, animals, including deer and big cats, would destroy crops and cattle. “I realised that it is part of the wildlife corridor and needs to be returned to the forest. I spent whatever savings I had and gradually acquired pockets of the land one after the other for years from different families,” recalls Abhishek.
The music composer, who is also a certified big cats tracker and wildlife conservationist, then started planting trees and dug up a water body in the land. Abhishek adds, “Soon, the water body lured several animals to its banks, as they would come to quench their thirst. We came up with a rainwater harvesting system so that the area never runs out of water. We also focused on planting endemic trees like banyan, jamun and wild mangoes, so that it benefits wildlife rather than humans, thus you won’t find any foreign plantations there.”
One can see several colourful birds flying across Sitabani. It also houses animals like the Indian leopard, tigers, elephants, wild bear, jackals, striped hyenas, otters, and more.
The wildlife reserve has strict rules, like no lights at night since it disturbs the leopards and tigers in the area. The other rules are no loud music, ‘ first right of the way’ to animals which means one has to move aside and allow the animal to pass if one encounters a wandering animal.
Abhishek Ray has recently composed Earth Voices to sensitise people towards the destruction of wildlife habitats across the country. “We have lost 50 per cent of wildlife on the Earth in the last 30 years. This symphony is a message to the people to ensure the protection of wildlife. The term ‘ wildlife’ is the greatest conspiracy hatched by the human civilisation to control and kill all free animals that live on Mother Earth. People feel they have the privilege to enjoy the resources of the planet, including forest lands and water bodies, meanwhile confining the animals to cages and zoos,” Abhishek concludes.
I spent whatever savings I had and gradually acquired pockets of the land one after the other for years from different families — ABHISHEK RAY